Sneak Peek Garden 2017 Issue Sneak Peek The Garden 2017 issue of Craft Ideas magazine has more than 50 projects to inspire creativity! Featuring garden and patio ideas, as well as twig crafts, gifts for mom, dad and grads, cards and more. Check...

DIY Origami Heart Watch our video to learn a super easy way to create an origami heart! Use them to embellish your Valentine's Day card or string several together to make heart garland for a festive look. Happy crafting!

1. For proper use of texture brush, use the following method: dampen bristles with water to separate bristles. Tap bristles into paint, hold perpendicular to palette, pounce up and down to remove excess paint leaving scant amount on brush. Tap brush lightly on surface, dancing up and down, and rolling in different directions between fingers when brush is up in air. Allow some drying time between taps so paint sets up a bit.

Geraniums

1. Note: Geranium shapes are formed in three layers: Brandy Wine for bottom shaded value layer, Blush Flesh for middle medium value layer, and Melon for top highlight value. Five small strokes are used to form geranium clusters. Petals can be made in a single stroke, which looks better, but if necessary, you can go back over the stroke.

2. For first layer, use texture brush to dance Brandy Wine in geranium areas allowing some black basecoat to still show.

3. For second layer, loosely pull petals in groups of five throughout geranium area; be sure to stroke some petals outside pattern lines and allow a little Brandy Wine to show between clusters. Load shader across chisel edge with Blush Flesh; press down on surface allowing bristles to spread, apply pressure and begin to pull, gradually release pressure and slightly turn brush to right as you pull towards center of that group, slow down and allow bristles to return to chisel edge. Remember, these are small strokes for small petals.

4. For third layer, load shader with Melon and repeat in same manner as second layer. Off-set and overlap second layer making fewer flower petals and allowing some Blush Flesh and Brandy Wine layers to show. Use #5/0 script liner and Marigold to dot Melon flower cluster centers.

3. If needed, use Lamp Black to float around leaf edges to clean up; repeat as needed. If shaded areas from overlapping leaves look muddy, clean up with Lamp Black float.

Stems and Buds

1. Double-load #5/0 script liner with Evergreen and Hauser Lt. Green to pull stems to geranium. Repeat same for buds, pulling lines from under geranium clusters; double-load #0 script liner with Blush Flesh and Melon to pull buds, then double-load #5/0 script liner with Evergreen and Hauser Lt. Green to pull calyx on either side of buds.